Due to the beautiful weather conditions, many seed potato growers are busy harvesting today. How is the harvest going, what is expected of the yield and are the first results from the follow-up really as negative as previously expected?
The seed potato harvest is currently in full swing. Although exact percentages are still difficult to give, a conservative estimate is that 70% has now been cleared. Due to the beautiful weather this week, a lot of work has already been done where possible. Due to the drought, several areas in the south of the country are still too dry to harvest. The expected precipitation this weekend should change that for next week.
In general, the seed potato harvest is going well, the insiders say. The so-called 'appearance quality' appears to be good (for example, there are relatively few problems with scab) and yields are expected to be around the 5-year average. This prediction matches some mid-August was expected.
Follow-up inspection in line with last year
A month ago, the follow-up check-up was also looked at with a lot of excitement. In the meantime, a small portion of the inspections have been carried out (approximately 15%) and this shows that the percentage of reductions and rejections is slightly lower than last year. This was also evident from the last message from the NAK: it was discussed a reduction percentage of 14,5%, while last year it was 14,8%. Although only a small part has already been inspected, it already offers some reason for some relief. The expectation was that the percentage would be higher this year, partly due to the high lice pressure.
The same insiders also indicate that this should not give the impression that the situation is not too bad, because that is not the case. The percentage of reductions and rejections is and remains high. It is also reported that there are still quite a few seed potato growers who are having problems with their planting. The main question for trading houses is now how they will do this next season.
New certificate against fraud
The NAK also announced last week that it will provide seed potato certificates with a number of security features (such as a UV watermark and QR code), making them more difficult to forge. It is one of the ways that the inspection service has the opportunity to fraud with seed potatoes wants to limit. These adjustments are also made to the certificate for seed types that require a plant passport.